1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of reclosable cartons, and particularly to so-called "flip top" cartons having a hinged cover portion which can be reclosed and held in a reclosed position on a receptacle portion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of flip-top reclosable cartons are used for packaging a number of different types of products including food products such as crackers or ice cream. Commonly, such containers include a generally rectangular receptacle portion and a cover which is hingedly connected thereto and which has a skirt which depends downwardly from the top edge of the cover to extend over a portion of the top of the receptacle. The skirt is often initially sealed to the receptacle in some way so that the user has to break the seal upon opening. Various of these cartons have included locking tabs or latches which allow the opened cover to be latched back onto the receptacle after reclosure. Examples of reclosable cartons are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,748, U.S. Pat. No. Re. 26,185 and U.S. Pat. No. Re. 26,471.
Typical problems experienced by cartons of these types are excessive bowing of the front of the carton, after opening, and, conversely, difficult closing and opening of cartons which are filled with a hard product such as ice cream where the latching reclosure of the lid depends on the bowing of the carton. An additional problem is particularly encountered in the filling of flip-top cartons with soft ice cream. Usually, the carton is partially erected and sealed such that only one side is left open, with the liquid ice cream being introduced into the carton from this side. Because the top panel of the cover portion of the carton is not sealed to the top edges which define the open top of the receptacle, liquid ice cream can sometimes leak through the joints between the cover and the receptacle and appear on the outside of the package, detracting from the appearance and sanitation of the completed package.